2006 Volkswagen Concept A Review

Specifications

Achtung!

Volkswagen has always been a weird brand. Lets face it, the company was in
cahoots with Hitler to build a “Peoples Car” that eventually became the
VW Beetle; which at this point has become the international wheeled symbol of
hippies and peace protesters! So you have to figure, with such a convoluted
past, chances are pretty good that any glimpse into the vee-dub future is
going to be pretty bizarre as well.

And this concept confirms it. Called the Concept A, its the brainchild of a bunch of wacky Germans who sat around a table and asked themselves what CANT they get a car to do. The result is this car/truck/sports car combo. Powered by a
twincharged (thats supercharged and turbocharged in case you were wondering)
1.4L four-cylinder that cranks out 150 horsepower, the Concept As drivetrain
motto is “maximum driving pleasure, minimum consumption.” And yes, you read
that right; this car actually has a drivetrain motto. Lame, but true…
anyway, all that power gets to the ground via a six-speed manual transmission and Volkswagens all-wheel drive system; 4Motion. Volkswagen is quick to
point out, though, that while this “study” comes equipped with this particular drivetrain,
they can easily fit both the Polo GTIs 200 horsepower direct-injection
powerplant, or for the more fuel conscious, a diesel. As the press release says, “Studies can do, and are allowed anything.”

As a study in design, the Concept A gets top marks for absolute coolness. Starting with the front end, Volkswagen started with a Cheetah for inspiration. Its ok if you dont see it either, just
be content with the knowledge that somewhere, at some point, a designer looked
at a picture of a Cheetah and drew this. Were pretty sure he was blind, but
hey, the end result looks great… it just doesnt look a whole lot like a
Cheetah. The new standard-issue Volkswagen grille takes center stage, flanked by massive
cheekbones/inlets that would, on the production model, either feed a radiator,
intercoolers, or brakes. The press release also cites “trapeze shaped”
headlights that apparently break with the round headlight tradition that began
with the Beetle, which begs the question; if the Passat, Eos, Jetta, Scirocco,
Corrado, Phaeton, Polo, and just about every model EXCEPT the Beetle has broken
with that tradition already, can you still call it a tradition?

Moving back, the windshield is encased in aluminum, much like the current crop of Audi convertibles. The roof, in grand roadster style, gets noticeably taller after leaving the windshield, before sloping down to the tail. Next up are the doors: a simple pillarless suicide door system, similar to those found on crew-cab pickup trucks, works well on such a small car, and it is most likely far, far easier to get in and out of this concept than it is to do so in many production cars. Unfortunately, modern crash test requirements mean that even if this concept were to make it into production (which is in and of itself highly unlikely), chances are good that unless VW offered an option entitled “Invincibility,” the suicide doors would need to be axed in order to properly brace the car and fit airbags. Finally, the Concept As hatchback design is modular, meaning that the lower part can be opened independently, and just like a pickup can stay open for the transport of long items, or it can be left as is, and the car is a conventional (and cool) hatchback.

The interior of the Concept A is surprisingly large. An attachable soft top makes the car a convertible and the four bucket seats are designed for comfort, but placed for space. The driver is greeted with a rather normal looking steering wheel and a slightly less normal singular round gauge that incorporates all the necessary functions. Lastly, the “climate control exhaust” (also known as “vents”) is a central design. If you find yourself looking for it, it pretty much takes up the entire dash. Yes, all that wavy stuff. Its large size is not only efficient, but it also allows for additional mounting locations. Instead of working out where to put the vents after everything else had been done, VW put the vents in the dash and then put the radio interface inside the vent. Now thats ingenious.

Of course, VW wont build this car… yet. Heavy emphasis has been placed on the Concept As position in VWs future, and VW admits that this is a glimpse into a VW SUV that could be placed underneath the Touareg in the lineup - are we talking about the Beduin? Many features, like the massive vents, 20-inch wheels and 295 series tires simply wouldnt make it into production regardless, while others, namely the modular pickup/hatchback/roadster sports car configuration and pillarless suicide doors are slightly more likely, but still only slightly. Either way, even as a mere study one can only sit back, take it all in and say “those crazy Germans.”